As the Sun Rises
by BokchoiBaboy
Summary: [AU]When the moon disappears, the sun will always rise. [NaruHina]
1. As the Sun Rises

**As the Sun Rises**  
_Written by BokchoiBaboy_

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto  
**A/N: **Okay. Not sure if this is going to continue on, because I know I left many things hanging at the end and I could easily make it into a full on story. Just let me know if you want a continuation, and I'll be happy to close up all the loose ends and make a story. (:

And, usually I'd just stick this in **Intertwined, **but why the heck not.

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_It's the little things between us that make every little moment count._

_Everything between that's stuck between happiness and despair._

_That is our love._

_Our love..._

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"..._Hurry..." _

Dark, faded moonlight penetrated through the thick, forest canopy, providing the forest a small source of light during the middle of night. Around the forest there was only silence and the constant sound of rain hitting the leaves and the muddy floor; there were no late birds chirping or any toads croaking. A pale woman of dark, wine hair lay covered in mud from head to toe, her lavender orbs staring at her eldest daughter with utter love and despair.

"_It's not that far, dear. You can make it."_

The young girl before her stared at her in horror, her salty tears mixing in with the even saltier rain. Her short, purple hair glistened under the faded moonlight from the dampness, the lavender orbs that she had inherited from her mother fearfully staring at her mother's tired body and soul.

"Mom...I don't know where to go," she whispered into the forest night.

Her tired mother let off a tiny smile as she tried to stand, but fell down once more. The extravagant robes covering her body were now completely covered in mood, the expensive, silken fabrics ruined from the dirty particles. Her beautiful, pale face, too, was covered in thick mud, her wine locks plastered together by the heavy mud.

"_Just follow the path, dear. Do not worry. There will be someone to pick you up when you had gone far enough. Use the strength that I have taught you if you must fight. Go. I will cover for you, please."_

The short, twelve-year-old spared her mother one last glance before quickly turning away.

"I love you, Mom!"

Her tiny, fragile voice echoed through the woods as she raced as far away as she could, her lavender orbs frantically searching for the path that her mother had talked about. Her short legs continued to run in the same direction, her body becoming heavy from the constant rain and the weight of mud on her shoes.

"_I love you, too!"_

The girl's face became even wetter from her waterfall of tears as she heard her mother's last shout echo through the woods. After, there was a shriek, and nothing more.

-

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"_How could you have lost her?!" _

A loud, booming baritone echoed through the cold walls of the headquarters, pallid orbs coldly staring at the darkness before them. There was a swift sound of bodies hitting the floor in respectful bows, muffled voices echoing off the cold, concrete floors.

"_She is a twelve-year-old child running through the forest, with no skills whatsoever!"_

There was another loud boom as a heavy, masculine body jumped into a standing position, cold, pale hands formed in tight fists. Every man before this all-powerful figure shivered in dismay, hoping to be spared and given mercy.

"_You good-for-nothings!" _

Amidst the bowing bodies, one of them quietly got up, their dark lips formed in a playful grin.

"Forgive me, Hiashi-sama," his playful voice said, "but perhaps you are the good-for-nothing here."

The all-powerful man let off a raging roar, but before he was able to place his hands on the traitor, he was only met with a quick flash of yellow.

"_Damn it! Find the traitor and bring me back his head!" _

There was another rush of legs tapping against the concrete as they swiftly made their way outside into the downpour. The man carelessly sat down on his cushioned chair as he punched the wall next to him in anger, the wall nearly breaking apart into crumbles. His fist was unharmed as his cold eyes glared through the cracks in the wall.

"That damned man was on to me," he whispered through grit teeth.

-

-

The girl collapsed on the damp forest floor, her chest heaving swiftly as she struggled to catch her breath. Her sweat had mixed in with the rain, making her soft, pale skin feel damper and more slippery beyond comfort. Her lavender eyes struggled to remain open, their vision hazy and blurry as her eyelids began to droop closed.

"Mom, I'm sorry," she managed to whisper through tired huffs of breath, "I can't make it."

"Giving up is no good, you know that?"

The girl would have jumped up in surprise and would have run deeper into the forest for cover had she any strength, but instead she was left to helplessly stare at a strange, blond boy, looking at her with deep cerulean eyes that matched the sky on the most beautiful of days. He seemed to be a head taller than her, and around her age, his skin tan and toned.

"I..."

The girl was knocked senseless by nothing more than the boy's kindness and his eyes. All her life she had only seen white, pearl, pallid, and lavender orbs around her, and, in rare times, quick flashes of chestnut or brown orbs. All her life her father had abused her when her mother was unable to protect her; all her life she was subject to _misery, pain, and despair._

She was familiar with the hatred and abuse burning through her blood and through her mother's blood as her uncaring father used the both of them and cast them out like broken toys. She was familiar with every emotion except for a man's love.

But in the boy's eyes, she found warmth, kindness, _love, hope. _She saw dreams in the reflections of his cerulean pools, and a thin, sliver of hope and desires entangled beneath and around his blue irises. She felt everything that seemed to be a child's bedtime story in one, deep glance into pools that she had never seen before. Instead of drowning in the rain, she was drowning in his beautiful, _magnificent, _pools of hope, dreams, warmth, kindness, and _love. _

"Why don't I take you to where I live? I'm sure my dad wouldn't mind. He always likes to help people," the boy suggested.

The girl once again remained silent; the only sounds between them the drops of rain splattering across the Earth's surface. She never was one to speak, and faced in situations like this, she was doomed to be helpless. She became scared that her only chance of hope would be gone, scared that the boy would not wait for her to regain her resolve and simply give him a simple "yes" or "no". She was dangling on her last lifeline, a very thin, weak string, and she was struggling to remain on that thin line, struggling on the verge of life or death.

"I can tell you're giving in again."

Her lavender orbs widened when she felt his warm, gentle hand intertwine with hers and pull her up with all his strength. Tears began to brim at the corners of her eyes, the girl wishing that these tears went unseen by her savior. However, to her dismay, she felt his free fingers gently brush away her salty, rain-mixed tears. She was left in wonder as to how perceptive he actually was of her, and how he had gained enough skill to determine salty tears from salty rain.

"I think," the boy began, as he led her away from the spot where she had collapsed with a gentle, yet firm tug, "that the first thing I told you was that giving up was no good."

This time, the girl managed a feeble, weak reply.

"Y-yes."

The boy smiled at hearing her voice for the first time. He spared her a quick glance before averting his gaze back to the muddy road before him, gently leading her towards his unknown home.

"Maybe you should speak a lot more," he said over the downpour of rain, "because I like your voice. It reminds me of my mom."

At mention of her mother, the girl once again had tears brimming at her eyes, trying her hardest not to show the boy before her. Only in the span of ten minutes, he had won her over and made her feel even more helpless than her father had done. But the helplessness she felt, she knew, was nothing negative and something to despise like that she had felt for her father. This helplessness was something she knew that she couldn't control, and instead, it seemed a paradox, as she felt warmer and warmer as the time passed between them.

"I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have brought up mothers."

The girl looked at him with surprise.

"I...How did you...?"

The boy's look seemed to soften, yet became cloudy and mysterious as he stopped and looked at her. His cerulean eyes drifted towards the full moon, as he gently squeezed the hand held within his tighter for comfort.

"It's easy to feel emotions, especially for me. I...well, my dad and I, we're sort of..._outcasts. _Well, not really my dad, but..._I'm an outcast. _People don't...like me, so I'm more...familiar with emotions."

The girl seemed taken aback by his confession, and for the first time since she had started the chase away from her father, the first time after her mother had been killed, a small, upward tug of her lips had taken place. The boy looked at her and smiled, his grin tempting her to burst out with laughter at its foxy fakeness.

"Is your mother...?"

"She's with the stars."

The girl nodded at the boy as her smile grew larger.

"My mother is too."

The boy returned her smile with his own, genuine tug of the lips. The two then began their trek towards the boy's home, careful not to slip or fall against the wet and slippery ground.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto," the boy finally said as a cottage came into view.

The girl remained silent for a few moments before responding.

"My name is Hinata."

"Glad to meet you."

Hinata smiled.

"Likewise."

There was a comfortable silence between them before it was broken by the creak of the cottage door opening. Naruto stepped into the warmth of his home, releasing Hinata from his hold, his heavy footsteps making the dry floor damp. Hinata remained outside, scared and shy of entering and dirtying the house. Naruto seemed to sense this and let off sonorous laughter as he returned to the door and pulled his newfound friend inside.

"Don't feel shy. Make yourself at home."

Hinata respectfully bowed, as her mother had taught her to do, and began to strip of her outermost robes, placing the heavy, damp clothes outside next to the door. When she was finished, she was left only in a thick, cotton layer of kimono, her pale skin seeming to merge with the whiteness of the fabric.

She looked around the homely cottage and began to soak in the warmth, thankful that Naruto had found her and thankful that she was not dead. Her eyes wandered to the window on the right wall, the moon shimmering in the night sky. Her thoughts began to run towards her mother and her sacrifice, and in a few moments, she felt herself breaking down.

Unknowingly, she began to shed her tears and cry, cry for the life that her mother had sacrificed, and cry for the life that should have been taken instead. Naruto noticed his and stood in front of her, his cerulean pools gazing into her lavender ones. His long, slender fingers once again wiped away her waterfall of tears, and as she turned to face him, she was once again met with the gaze that had first won her over.

The sliver of hope was still there, dangling behind his irises of the beautiful sky.

"It's okay, Hinata," he gently said, taking her hand in his once more, "because as the moon disappears, the sun will always rise."

She looked at him with surprise and nodded, cherishing the warmth that he emitted into her only by his gentle touch of his fingers. He gave her a soft smile and he too, looked at the moon, thinking of the woman that had given birth to him and taught him everything he knew.

"You're not alone."

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**A/N: **Soo, like I said in the first author's note, this is dangling between full-time story or mysterious oneshot.  
I put some of my stories on hold (Tears of the Sky, Colors of the Heart, and Pressure Points).  
As this was just a random spur of the moment idea, let me know if you want it to be continued or not.

I was feeling some NaruHina, so here it is! xD

Thank you very much for reading (:


	2. Conflict

**As the Sun Rises**  
_Written by BokchoiBaboy_

**Prologue - Part 2 – **_Conflict_

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto  
**A/N: **Thank you for all of your reviews! I was surprised at how many people wanted a full story – so here it is! I hope you enjoy this chapter. (:

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**-**

_You swept me off my feet when I thought I couldn't get up._

_The slivers of hope dangling behind your beautiful eyes..._

_They dangle beneath mine as well. _

_You're my savior, my savior..._

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Hinata silently awoke to the morning dawn as the gentle, morning sunlight penetrated the cabin's windows and caressed the silky skin on her face. Her head was still in somewhat of a jumble, giving off a slight, annoying headache. Even after a long night's rest, her body and mind was still not fully recovered, a sense of fatigue still lingering through her body.

She quietly removed herself of the Uzumaki's couch, and silently made her way to the cabin window, her footsteps only lightly hitting the wooden floors. Her lips formed a tiny, upward tug, as the sunlight caressed her skin even stronger next to the window. Her gentle hands slowly opened the window, and a rush of fresh, aromatic scents made their way into the cabin. Swift, gentle breezes of cold air rushed passed her through the open window, ruffling her dark, purple locks and soothing her body with its touch.

_Giving up is no good, you know that?_

In all of the fresh beauty, her mind had wandered towards her new friend, Uzumaki Naruto. The words that he had first spoken to her continuously echoed through her thoughts, effectively making her heart skip a beat. She did not know what had made her completely breathless at sight, or even sight of him. Perhaps it was the kindness in his eyes and the friendly love his aura emitted that had completely swept her away. Or perhaps it was the slivers of hope dangling beneath his beautiful orbs that she had held on to.

She had never known the wonders of being loved by her father, nor being loved by anyone but her mother.

It was a feeling of immenseness when she looked into his electrifying, cerulean orbs; an unfamiliar feeling that scared her, but excited her. Something about the way her name rolled off his tongue and his lips made her heart pound against her chest.

Out of nowhere, a gentle hand had placed itself on her shoulder, emitting warmth and jolts of electricity all throughout her body. Hinata genuinely smiled, not needing to look up into the same orbs to know who it was.

"Look, Hinata," came his gentle voice, "the sun is back."

Her pale, delicate fingers shyly cradled his as her lavender orbs shone under the rising sunlight.

"Yes," she softly whispered, "it's finally back."

-

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"Honestly, Hinata! Have more confidence in yourself."

Hinata shyly bit her lip as Naruto insisted that she spar with him. After the first few minutes, she could tell that she had driven him to the edge with her hesitant jabs and weak confidence. He stood before her, their faces in close proximity, as he carefully looked her in the eye.

"Hinata, I barely see anything in these pretty eyes of yours," he nonchalantly said, drawing his head back so he could catch the full view of her pale face, "I can't even see a purpose."

After moments of silence from the girl, Naruto looked her in the eye once more.

"Hinata, do you even _have_ one?"

Hinata shyly turned away, her eyes quickly searching for anything other than the blond to catch her interest. Naruto's eyes widened as he gently turned her face so he could once more look her in the eye. When he had found nothing else from the girl, he let off a whistle of surprise, never once breaking eye contact with her.

"Well, that's gotta change, Hinata."

Her lavender orbs slightly widened with surprise, but she smiled nonetheless, and nodded.

"Okay."

Naruto let off his toothy grin.

"Like I said before, you should talk more."

Hinata cast him a curious glance.

"Remember? Your voice reminds me of my mom."

Hinata's smile widened with happiness and completion.

"I will."

_If you look into my eyes, Naruto, maybe you can see my new purpose._

_I want to return what you have given me._

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"Naruto, do you live here alone?"

It had already been two full days that Hinata had taken refuge in the Uzumaki's cabin. There was still no sign of his father that he had told her about the first time they had met, and there seemed to be no signs of anyone other than himself ever living in the wooden home.

Naruto looked at her curiously, and shook his head.

"No. My dad is out a lot."

"Oh."

There was pregnant silence between the two, before Naruto's gentle tone filled the air with weightlessness.

"Don't get me wrong, though, Hinata. We're really close."

Hinata smiled.

"How about your dad, Hinata?"

The silence between them grew heavy and awkward as Hinata fought for the right words to say. She did not want to say that her father was abusive, selfish, greedy, and a bastard for that matter, because she did not want any pity. However, she knew that saying that everything was going perfectly fine with her father would rise suspicion as to why she still hasn't gone back home.

Naruto sensed that the question was not a question to ask her, at least not right now, and broke the silence once more.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

He was interrupted by Hinata's firm voice.

"No. It's fine. My father and I aren't really that close. He just used my mother and me whenever he needed us, and then cast us out into the dark when our job was done. I think...I think he thinks I'm worthless. A good-for-nothing little girl."

Hinata burst into a fit of unwanted sobs and tears, her pale fingers tightly cradling her face in humiliation. She was surprised when Naruto was next to her and once again wiping her tears with his gentle fingers, a look of concentration and sympathy in his face. Hinata's heart broke when she sensed sympathy emitted from him.

"I...I don't want your sympathy, Naruto," she hiccupped through her sobs.

She was taken aback by his firm, yet gentle, tone with her.

"Shut up, Hinata," he gently said, "I know about hating sympathy more than you could ever imagine."

Hinata's eyes widened when he unconsciously began to caress her pale fingers in his hands, in attempts to soothe her.

"I'm not being sympathetic, Hinata. I'm being kind, because you're my friend. I want you to be happy. Everyone in this world...they deserve happiness."

She remained silent, not wanting to disturb or interrupt his gentle voice.

"And you're wrong about another thing, Hinata – you're not a worthless, good-for-nothing little girl," he said, his cerulean eyes meeting with her lavender ones, "you're a pretty and nice girl, and if you open your eyes, you mean everything to the people around you."

Before Hinata could reply, a familiar voice to her erupted through the cabin. Naruto's eyes instantly lit up, but she broke away from his grasp and frantically searched for a place to hide.

"I'm uh, sorry to interrupt your little moment, but, Naruto, why didn't you tell me _earlier _that you had Hinata staying here?"

Naruto eyed Hinata curiously before averting his gaze back to his older look-alike at the door.

"N-No! G-Get away from me!"

The man standing at the door frowned and slowly made his way to the terrified girl, not paying mind to his utterly confused son. His gentle hand extended itself for the terrified girl to take, knowing that the chances of her rejecting him were very, _very _high.

"Hinata, I'm sorry."

"Dad, what's going on?"

Cerulean orbs full of sorrow met cerulean orbs full of confusion in the rare moments where the son did not understand the father.

"No," Hinata's firm voice came again, "Naruto, maybe I should start from the beginning."

Naruto's eyes met with Hinata's, almost pleading her to explain the situation.

"I...maybe I should have told you from the start."

-

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**A/N: **So, I intended this chapter to be completely fluffy-fluffy, but, I decided I didn't really want a filler chapter so early. Though I do have a feeling that the ending is a bit rushed, I hope you enjoyed everything else about this chapter.

NEXT TIME! How exactly does Naruto's father know Hinata? What has Hinata been hiding all along?

Thank you for reading!


	3. Explanations

_I don't want you to ever let me go..._

_You make my heart swell with a feeling I've never felt before..._

_I feel so safe in your arms, so safe._

_Don't ever let me go, please don't ever leave_

_I want to keep this wonderful feeling..._

-

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**As the Sun Rises  
Prologue – Part 3 –**_Explanations_  
**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto.

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Silence ensued between the three, awkwardly filling the space where nobody had anything else to add. Hinata turned and faced Naruto, his cerulean eyes providing her comfort and warmth, confidence and courage. She then turned to his father, and offered him a shy smile, as if apologizing for all the harm her father had done. The older, in turn, returned the smile, giving her more courage and confidence to tell her tragedy.

"I – I'm sorry for keeping it from you," she timidly began.

"It's fine," Naruto urged.

She smiled and leaned against the wall for support, tightly clenching her fists and closing her eyes.

"My father – your father works for him. My father, he's – he's a_ murderer._ He murders people he believes will try to claim his power from our clan. Our clan, we're of royal blood. If ever the Hokage – or the Royal Family does not find an heir to the throne of the Land of Fire, we are next in line for the throne.

"So that being said, my father has a lot of shinobi and kunoichi and whatnot to protect him and kill prominent clans to reduce their power and influence on the throne. Your father, he worked under him. I – I hope you take no offense, Namikaze-san (at this, Hinata offered a bow of apology, which Naruto's father returned with a smile), but, Naruto-kun, your father was my bodyguard. I was always so scared of him, knowing that if I tried to run away he would be able to follow me; and when he caught me, he would report me to my father, and – and -"

"Hinata," Naruto began, but was stopped by a quick shake of his father's head.

Hinata bit her bottom lip in frustration, drawing blood and letting it slide across her lips. Tears began to pour from her eyes as she tried her hardest to control her violent fit of sobs.

"-And Naruto, my father isn't like yours. He – he's _horrible._ Ever since I was little, he would use me as a brag tool and – and he would _abuse me, _and throw me into this _horrible_ room when he was finished. He even did that to my mother and – and I hated it when he made her cry. I felt so _weak, so useless, _because we were always cast away like rag dolls when we were done! And then – and then, he _killed _my mother. My fa-father, h-he _killed _her!"

There was a moment of silence before the heavy air was filled with Hinata's violent sobbing and hiccups. Naruto stared at the girl for a few moments, as if in a trance; but instantly, _oddly, _he quickly jolted to her side and held her, shushing her with his gentle words and mutterings of 'It's okay, Hinata, it's okay'. The Namikaze looked at the pair with sad eyes, his lips formed in a soft smile.

"It's okay, Hinata-chan," his voice came, "You're with me now. I won't let your father hurt you any longer."

The girl looked up at him with her sad pools of pearl, a genuine smile gracing her tearstained face.

"Thank you, Namikaze-san."

He offered her a toothy grin that much resembled his son's.

"You can call me Minato."

At this he gave the couple one last look before disappearing into the kitchen, most likely to prepare an early dinner.

The two were left in complete silence, only the faint, dying sobs of Hinata filling the air between them. Naruto still held the girl in his arms, comforting her with his warm touch and presence, saying nothing except for the occasional 'Shh, it's okay, Hinata, it's okay'.

"Na-Naruto-kun, I-I'm sorry," she whispered through her sobs, "I shouldn't have kept it a secret."

He offered her a sonorous laugh, the vibrations shivering through Hinata's body.

"It's fine."

She lifted her head to look at him with her puffy eyes, drowning in his endless pools of cerulean. He offered her a smile, which she timidly returned. He cradled her tighter, as if scared that she would fly away if he were to let go, not releasing her even until after she was finished crying. She returned the embrace, inhaling his intoxicating scent of ramen and forest air. She smiled against the loose fabric of his t-shirt, snuggling into the warmth of his embrace, her heart swelling.

_Naruto-kun..._

_...Please don't ever let me go._

As if sensing this, the grip around her fragile body tightened, his head buried in the crook her neck, her purple locks cascading around him and tickling his skin. She felt him smile against her skin, fighting back the urge to giggle from the tickling sensation.

_I won't._

_I promise._

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**A/N:**Hey everyone! Haven't updated this in a while.  
So, you may or may not have noticed that I changed chapter 2 & chapter three to parts of the prologue.  
I have a clearer storyline in my head now, so the past 3 chapters were all part of the prologue.  
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter ...  
And I'm sorry it was so short! I promise the next chapters will be longer!

Thanks for reading!


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